William j



- (No Model.)

- W. J. DECKER.

MEGHANIGAL PUZZLE. 1 No. 286,395. Patented 0on9, 1883.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. mm. wank- 2m I71.

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NITED STATES WILLIAM J. DnoKii-n,

on new YORK, N. Y.

MECHANICAL PUZZLE.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,395, dated October 9, 1883.

- Application filed April 12, 1883.. (No model.)

open into the grooves D G, and the third side To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, XVILLIAM J. DECKER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented. a new and useful Improvement in Mechanical Puzzles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figurel is aperspective view of myimproved puzzle. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, takcnthrough the line :0 as, Fig. 1.

The object of this invention is to provide an innocent and entertaining amusement for young and old.

The invention consists in a puzzle made with I a block provided with ,grooves opening into each other at right angles, filled with movable blocks, and provided with a switch-recess opening into two of the grooves at their point of meeting, to allow the said blocks to pass each other without being raised out of their grooves, as will be hereinafter fully described. A is ablockof wood or other suitable inatorial and which is made of any convenient length, breadth, and thickness. Across the block A are formed four parallel grooves, 13 O D E. The grooves BC and D E are at a distance apart equal to the width of thesa-id grooves, and the grooves G D are at a distance apart a little greater than the said width. The ends of the grooves O D project beyond the ends of the grooves B E a distance equal to the width of the said grooves. The ends of the grooves B Eare connected with the grooves G D by short grooves F, and the ends of the grooves G D are connected with each other by short. grooves G. At one end of the space hetween the grooves O D is formed a' recess, H, equal in length and breadth to the width of the said grooves. Two sides of the recess H of the said recess is separated from the grooves C by a thin tongue, I. The grooves 13 C D E F G are filled with blocks J, each equal in length and breadth to the width of the said grooves, and the recess H serves as a switch for the blocks J to pass each other as they are moved along the grooves. The faces of the blocks J are marked with letters, numerals, or other symbols, which, when the said blocks are properly arranged, form certain words, numbers, or fixed arrangement of symbols. In the illustration given in the drawings, when the blocks are properly arranged, those in the grooves B C D E form the words Star Puzzle-can you do it? and the grooves F G are occupied by blocks having stars upon their faces.

In using the puzzle the blocks are mixed together, and are placed in the grooves as they happen to come to hand, and the solution is to arrange them in their proper order without raising any of the said blocks out of the grooves, the switch H being' the only point where the blocks can pass each other.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A puzzle made substantially as herein sh own and described, and consisting oi'ablock, A, provided with grooves 13 C D E F G, opening into each other at right angles, filled with movable blocks .I, and provided with a switchrecess, H, opening into two of the grooves at their point of meeting, to allow the said blocks to pass each other without being raised out of their grooves, as set forth.

XVILLIAM J. DECKER.

Witnesses:

James T. GRAHAM, G. Snnczwlcir. 

